Have you ever wondered what it would be like to completely restore an old abandoned home? Well that's exactly what this sassy little southern woman is doing with a late 1800's Louisiana dog-trot. Follow along as I renovate my family's beloved historic home on a shoestring budget. Restoring a piece of American history doesn't have to be expensive, so long as you aren't afraid to use a little elbow grease.
Wanna get in touch with me? Email jacs(dot)lewis(at)yahoo (dot)com.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Friends of Sugar Creek

Here is one of my favorite photos of the dog-trot. The man on the horse was nicknamed "Pot" and he worked for (and was a dear friend to) the Sims/Robinson family. The Sims family bought THE HOUSE IN SUGAR CREEK in 1902, and I'm not sure how long afterward Pot began to work for them. But somewhere along the way, according to the caption written on the back of one of his photos and based on many, many personal accounts from the living descendants, Pot became very close friends with several members of the family. I have been given MANY photos of Pot. In fact, I have more historic photos of Pot than I have of anyone else! According to old-timers in the area, Pot was an amazing man. He had quite a voice and was a member of a local band that played all around the Sugar Creek area. I now have five photos of Pot that were taken at Sugar Creek, and this photo clearly shows the complete house INTACT, including the kitchen/dining room (to the far left) that was torn down in the 1940's.

Check out the old chimneys that were originally on THE HOUSE AT SUGAR CREEK by scrolling to the photo below. Architect Lestar Martin calls these chimneys "rope chimneys" because they were design to contain chimney fires. A rope would have been tied to the skinny chimney tops, and in case of a chimney fire a mule or a horse could have easily pulled down the chimney and saved the house from burning. Two of the three original chimneys in the below photo will be rebuilt in our restoration, and the fireplace hearths will be framed with the original mantles. And on one of the mantles, in a frame made from the old wood from the chicken coop, I will sit this photo of Pot.

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The House at Sugar Creek

Here is our pre-renovation photo of our darling dog-trot before we begin the restoration process. Feel free to watch us transform her back to her original glory. These gorgeous old homes are disappearing at an alarming rate, and we hope to inspire you to take on a similar project of your own!

Would you consider beginning a project like this one?

What a view!

Few things in life are as relaxing as a lazy summer evening spent on a front porch listening to the whipporwhil call and the crickets chirp. The view from this upstairs window gives you a peek into the beauty of nature that we will see every single day of our life at Sugar Creek.

Unique Features

What do we love about this home? It's unique features, of course! Here is a pre-restoration picture of the rounded celilings in the upstairs bedrooms. It's just one of the dozens of touches that made us fall in love with The House at Sugar Creek.

HISTORIC PHOTOS of THE HOUSE

We've just been given copies of old family photos taken at The House at Sugar Creek! Here is a tiny sampler of things to come... we'll post them and talk more about the history of the house very soon.

Coke Bottles from the Root Cellar

It's hard to imagine what life would have been like in the eras before air conditioning and refridgerators. Food was kept in root cellars, hidden away underground where temperatures were cooler and water did not evaporate in the mid-summer sun. Dog-trots were built into the center of homes as a way to filter the breeze. Our little dog-trot is an example of both breezeways and root cellars, and we were delighted to find the original jars of preserves and old bottles still hidden away beneath the ground. Here are a few tiny pieces of our home's history that we found tucked away in the root cellar.